Xbox Don Mattrick Leaves Microsoft Was He Fired After Xbox One Fiasco?

Xbox head Don Mattrick leaves microsoft to head up the social gaming company Zynga replacing the current Zynga head Mark Pincus, but did Mattrick leave voluntarily or was he fired? After the Xbox One reveal where Mattrick got downright rude to the consoles fans, if he wasn’t fired, Microsoft might have suggested that he take his snotty attitude elsewhere.

A statement was released on Monday saying that Mattrick was leaving Microsoft just after the stock market closed on the same day, he will start his new position July 8.

The new Zynga head CEO posted on the company blog that he was, “excited to be here”, and that, “I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark’s pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started.”

Mattrick’s new job has certainly improved his overall outlook and changed his personality from the Xbox One head who told Microsoft fans that if they didn’t like the new console they could always play on the eight year old model instead.

He also said in the Zynga blog post, “As Mark was recruiting me to come here, I was impressed by his creativity, drive and the clarity in which he sees the future of games and entertainment as a core consumer experience.”

It appears that Zynga’s founder and “ex-CEO” didn’t see Mattricks apparent nasty side during the Xbox One fiasco (one that ended with Microsoft backing off on their very unpopular always on line and no second hand games issues) because according to Pincus he’s just as excited about Mattricks “defection” to head up his company as Mattrick is to be there.

In a statement the chairman and chief product officer Pincus said, “Don is unique in the game business. He can execute in multiple domains — hardware, software and network, and he’s been the person responsible for game franchises like Need for Speed, FIFA and The Sims.”

Pincus continued, “He turned Xbox into the world’s largest console gaming network, growing its installed base from 10 to 80 million and transformed that business from deep losses to substantial profits,”

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wished Mattrick success in a letter to the firm’s employees that has been published online, thanking him for “setting us on a path to completely redefine the entertainment industry”. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Ballmer didn’t go into how the Xbox One project will continue without Mattrick in his statement. But he did say, “The strong leadership team at IEB and their teams are well positioned to deliver the next generation entertainment console… long into the future.” Ballmer didn’t say, whether Dan Mattrick was fired after his part in the fiasco that was the Xbox One reveal or if he left “voluntarily.”

One can only wonder if the remaining teams have been taking a few courses on customer relations?

The move seems to be Microsoft “cleaning house” after their epic reveal “fail” of the new console. A reveal that caused so much controversy that the company have now removed all the “stumbling blocks” that caused such an uproar from Xbox fans.

It certainly seems that Microsoft has not just removed the upsetting features of their new console but they’ve also removed the one spokesman who didn’t seem to care what the Xbox fan base wanted and pretty much said so.

It does look like Mattrick and his career may just be on the slide down. Moving from a company that is topnotch in its field(s) and joining the ranks of a company that is suffering a steep decline in its profits.

Zynga has been desperately attempting to houseclean their own company after shedding almost a fifth of its workforce last month as it tried to stem is falling market value. At the company’s annual shareholder’s meeting it was announced that the company would have to axe 520 more jobs and close some offices.

Apparently Mark Pincus believes that “Mr Popularity” Dan Mattrick, is the answer to his companies problems, but the question still remains, did he get fired from Microsoft? Was Mattrick shown the door after the very poorly received Xbox One reveal? And Mattrick’s very snotty attitude towards the console’s fans begs the question: has he gotten lessons in customer relations? But customer interaction aside, his leaving the software giant, does have a sort of Christians to the lions feel about it. Rather fitting, we think.

5 Responses to "Xbox Don Mattrick Leaves Microsoft Was He Fired After Xbox One Fiasco?"

GHAWKS February 17, 2016 at 7:58 am

Dont know how people can say that x box is one of the more successfull consoles around. Look where it is in the stats. More ps2 consoles sold than any x box. Even the wii has sold more than x box. Thee most successful console is then next one that sony makes. The ps2 sold more than x box, Ps3 sold more than 360 and ps4 has sold more than x box one in which is an absolute understatement for the last one. Not to mention that you dont get the ring o death on sony or any other console out there no black screen of death either. Seems to me microsoft is better off without him.

Every senior executive at MS is being courted by other companies, so if at any time they are shown the door, they always have somewhere to go. He certainly wouldn’t be the first to have been told to “broaden his career horizons.”

No one just decides to call up a company and become CEO out of nowhere or in such a short amount of time. More than likely Don has been planning to move to Zynga for awhile already, but current situations going on may have hurried along his plans. Maybe Don was going to leave MS after the Xbox One launched but due to the Xbox One’s presentation and everything that has been going on, MS scooted him on out the door a bit sooner than expected.

Plus, do you really think that Don, a successful and well-respected businessman, just decides to join a failing company for the fun of it? I believe he joined Zynga as a challenge just as he did when he first joined MS to turn the Xbox from a money-losing product into one of the more successful consoles around.

The guy wants a challenge in life. This is all matter of opinions obviously.